Most likely you have somehow been touched by Alzheimer’s disease. Either someone in your family, or someone you know has fallen victim to this debilitating condition that impacts so many. Thirteen percent of people 65 and older have the disease, and nearly half of those who are 85 and older.
But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer’s (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
Although current Alzheimer’s treatments cannot stop Alzheimer’s from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life. There is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing, and one of the keys to all of this is early detection.
So today is a very important day in the battle against the disease because of a discovery of what could be an Alzheimer’s Test:
British researchers have developed a simple blood test to identify “markers” of Alzheimer’s disease that could mean earlier detection and more effective treatment for the millions diagnosed each year.
The test detects proteins in the blood that have been strongly linked with the degenerative disease, such as amyloid and APOE. Most notably, researchers say, proteins related to inflammation seem to be suggestive of the disease and have added to the promise of the test.
“Our findings are exciting because they show that it is technically possible to distinguish between healthy people and those with Alzheimer’s using a blood test. As blood tests are a fast and easy way of aiding diagnosis, we are really encouraged by these findings and the potential they hold for the future,” Kevin Morgan, a professor at University of Nottingham involved in the study, told the BBC.
“The way we see it working is you can test people and it will tell them if they have the all-clear, or if they are medium- or high-risk. If they are medium-risk, they can be monitored closely and high-risk patients can be referred to a specialist for more in-depth testing,” he said.
The research continues around the world, and anything we can do, however small, will help. That’s why this Thursday Worldline is holding a Bingo game for an hour over lunch in our staff cafeteria to support the Alzheimer’s Society. The staff can buy the game cards for a couple of bucks a piece and we chould raise a couple of hundred dollars or so, all while having fun.
You could do the same by downloading a free Bingo Card generator and corralling your work friends together for a a quick game or two, or make it a regularly scheduled event.
At Worldline we have a committee who organizes events such as these called The Fun Bunch.
The company’s social committee, they plan, provide, and implement events for Worldine and Fibernetics (Worldline’s parent company) employees throughout the year providing the opportunity to raise some money for good causes like the Alzheimer’s Society, but also for the chance for co-workers to meet with and enjoy each others company in a less formal setting than in an office or boardroom.
It’s great for the employees, great for the company, and great for fabulous causes like finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, which can’t come a day too soon.
